Mark Kirk: Obama's Libya effort a 'success'

In March, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) was urging President Barack Obama to better define the U.S. military’s role in Libya and seek Congress’s approval to use force in the north African nation.

But after a day touring the streets of Tripoli and meeting rebel leaders who overthrew the regime of Col. Moammar Qadhafi, Kirk praised Obama’s handling of the Libyan conflict as a undeniable “success.”

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POLITICO 44

“This is a victory for the United States military, for our British and French allies, for NATO, for the president of the United States, but most importantly for the Libyan people. …” Kirk said in a conference call with reporters from the Libyan capital. “Unquestioned kudos goes to the president and his team, but the challenges are not over yet.”

Later, he added: “This was a success by President Obama and his team. Any military conflict has ups or downs or things you might have done differently … but we have all the makings of a very strong U.S. ally in Libya.”

Kirk traveled to Tripoli with three fellow Republican senators – John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida – to meet with members of the National Transitional Council, comprised largely of the opposition movement that removed Qadhafi from power.

The congressional delegation toured a hospital and the U.S. embassy, and spoke with civilians in Martyr’s Square, the site of protests and fighting earlier this year.

While driving through the streets of the city, Kirk described seeing “spontaneous graffiti” that was overwhelmingly anti-Qadhafi. Billboards which had previously displayed the Libyan leader’s image had been ripped down.

“The age of Qadhafi has definitely ended,” Kirk said, though the ousted leader still remains at large.

Kirk, a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, alluded to “stresses and strains” within the rebel forces, he predicted that fighting will wrap up in Libya by the end of October, with the final battles in former Qadhafi strongholds of Sirte and Bani Walid. He also anticipated that the new government would not need any foreign aid as the international community begins to release some of the $100 billion in Qadhafi’s assets that had been seized.

LOL, another Politico article replete with equally desperate Obama drones that just SMACKS of desperation to get praise for Obama from Republicans. Desperately clinging to every crumb and morsel and occasional bone they can glean from the edges.

You guys should really see how you appear from outside the bubble. It's really getting pathetic and desperate sounding.

I dunno what y’all would do to Sen. Kirk in Iowa but we would treat him pretty ugly out in Kansas. Giving Obama anything close to a compliment at this particular time in American history is almost treasonous in my opinion.

Sep. 29, 2011 - 4:55 PM ESTI dunno what y’all would do to Sen. Kirk in Iowa but we would treat him pretty ugly out in Kansas. Giving Obama any close to a compliment at this particular time in American history is almost treasonous in my opinion.

First, he quoted this time line passing on the command to NATO, and he kept the promise; so it is not a lie. Next even if assume he said that about conclusion of the war, it is simply an underestimation. If such underestimation are lies, image how much of a lie is "Mission Accomplished!" On top of that, you always have the proven barefaced lie about weapons of mass destruction.

Kirk's an idiot. The Libya war was un-Constitutional (Barky should be impeached over it - along with tens of other impeachable acts he's commited since he slimed into the White House) and it was also a failure. If anyone wanted to bomb Libya, then the time for that was the day that AL Megrahi landed in Tripoli. The US should have lit that whole sh_tty nation up when that happened .... but we didn't, because the Indonesian Imbecile was busy giving aid and comfort to Al Megrahi (the ENEMY) and contributed to getting the piece of sh__ back to Libya safely. That was the time to bomb Libya.

But no. The Precedent gives aid and comfort to a terrorist who attacked us and then goes and decides on his own to attack Libya some time later ... because the UN and France wanted to. Congress was not necessary, as Barky thinks the US is run from the UN and Europe. Pathetic. ANd then, on top of it, it was a botched operation (and still is) - like everything the Indonesian Imbecile has done.

I'm just wondering, have we gotten Al Megrahi yet? Of course not. The "rebels" in Libya refuse to hand him over (or even think about it). Yep.

He took the US to war without even consulting Congress. That's called "un-Constitutional", Einstein. For oil - which the left has been strangely silent on. Funny that.

And the operation was a total mess. Thank G-d, though, that Bush had invaded Iraq and scared the living sh__ out Q'Daffy years ago, getting him to puke up his whole nuke program (and th ins to AQ Khan). Remember the Iraq War? The war that Congress voted on (unlike your Indonesian Imbecile's personal decision to take the US to war)? The war that got Q'Daffy's nuke program dismantled?

No, you don't remember that. You're too stupid to even understand what it means.

But, hey, you and the Indonesian can party with your buddy Al Megrahi at some hot club in Tripoli. Birds of a feather.

Yeah, because nothing says "success" like 20,000 portable surface-to-air missiles on the loose in North Africa. They are virtually all missing at this point and nobody in this administration seems to know where they are. Nice.

And we can't forget that great release of oil from the SPR (which is for OUR security and nothing else) to make up for oil that Barky said was off the market due to his un-constitutional move to take the US to war in Libya which had nothing to do with our national security, at all. That was another doozy from this fiasco. Carried out by Indonesian fiat and nothing else. Yep ... Another beaut from this Libya debacle.

The use of the armed forces in Libya was a completely Unconstitutional act. It was a War Crimes and the Master War Criminal, Obama should be arrested as well as the Joint Chiefs, for crimes against the Constitution.

However, do not expect any one in this government from either side of the isle to stand against this criminal act.

Yes, Ghadafi is or was a first class criminal, a murderous thug but, he was the recognised leader of a sovereign nation. He was involved in a civil war.

Why is Castro still standing. We could use the same illegal arguments against him also.